[aswin ajith]

Originally Posted by MadhavNarayanan

Beautiful locations! Good to see the bike doing well on the rocky climb. and it does need some skills to do that! Good job there! How do the suspensions feel after that? I get a squeaky sound from my front Suspensions, especially when I move the bike for the first time in the day, but seems to go away once I hold the front break and give it a nice full push down. Told the service center guy about this when I gave it for the first service, and he said he has fixed it, but clearly not.

Hi Madhav,

Thanks.

Absolutely no issues on the suspension side. Checked both F and R closely and have nothing to report.

With regards to the squeak, can you please check again and confirm if it is from the front brakes or the USD forks ? My front brakes do make a squeaking noise after its parked for many days. I believe this is moisture getting trapped on the pads/discs because after the first few kms of riding it disappears. And I am yet to hear any sort of noise from the USD forks.

If it is indeed from the forks you might need to push them to get your oil seals checked.

Thanks.

[MadhavNarayanan]

Originally Posted by aswin ajith

Hi Madhav,

Thanks.

Absolutely no issues on the suspension side. Checked both F and R closely and have nothing to report.

With regards to the squeak, can you please check again and confirm if it is from the front brakes or the USD forks ? My front brakes do make a squeaking noise after its parked for many days. I believe this is moisture getting trapped on the pads/discs because after the first few kms of riding it disappears. And I am yet to hear any sort of noise from the USD forks.

If it is indeed from the forks you might need to push them to get your oil seals checked.

Thanks.

I shall get this checked in my next service. It does not appear to be the brakes, and the sound is heard while I lift the bike off the stand. Anyway, I will check this with a friend, so I can figure out where the noise is coming from.

I did a 430 KM ride on Sunday, and I noticed that the GPS speed (on the Gmaps) and the Speedometer speed were not the same. GPS speed was about 6 to 8 KMPH lower than the actual reading on the speedometer. So when I was doing a 110 KMPH on the speedometer, the GMAPS was showing about a 102KMPH. Isn't the GPS speed more accurate? Is it normal for these 2 readings to be this different?

[a4anurag]

Originally Posted by aswin ajith

If it is indeed from the forks you might need to push them to get your oil seals checked.

Originally Posted by MadhavNarayanan

I shall get this checked in my next service. It does not appear to be the brakes, and the sound is heard while I lift the bike off the stand. Anyway, I will check this with a friend, so I can figure out where the noise is coming from.

Could be from the swing arm area or the mono-shock area?

Originally Posted by MadhavNarayanan

So when I was doing a 110 KMPH on the speedometer, the GMAPS was showing about a 102KMPH. Isn't the GPS speed more accurate? Is it normal for these 2 readings to be this different?

Pretty normal. GPS data will be accurate. Speedometer will display speed a bit more than actual.

[MadhavNarayanan]

Originally Posted by a4anurag

Could be from the swing arm area or the mono-shock area?

No Anurag, I dont think this is from the swing arm or the monoshock area, I tried to make a video of it.

https://youtu.be/4yRuZwuzAlA

Looks to be definitely from the front suspensions. The strange thing is, it goes away if I push the front suspensions deep enough, holding the front brakes. But surely returns later on once parked for a few hours. I am not sure if I should be too worried about this, but then, can this really wait until the second service?

[ashwinprakas]

Originally Posted by MadhavNarayanan

No Anurag, I dont think this is from the swing arm or the monoshock area, I tried to make a video of it.

Looks to be definitely from the front suspensions. The strange thing is, it goes away if I push the front suspensions deep enough, holding the front brakes. But surely returns later on once parked for a few hours. I am not sure if I should be too worried about this, but then, can this really wait until the second service?

In all probability that'd just be the Dust Seal squeaking against the fork tube, not worth the time of day to be worried about it.

Some things you simply ignore and move on.

[aswin ajith]

Long overdue updates :

Post my last update on this thread in December, life was going on as usual albeit with very limited travel and slowly but steadily, WFH blues took over. New year of 2021 was pretty much uneventful, spent with close friends and family.

Was able to go on very few rides till mid of April when second wave started to take over.

1. The windmills of Chathurangapara : Jan 31 2021

A cousin of mine happened to pick up the Honda Highness CB 350 DLX Pro mid of January and he wanted to stretch the legs of the bike and had been egging me to go on a ride to Chathurangapara.

It was a marathon day ride and we started from Kochi at 5 am and got back by 10 pm.

Route : Cochin - Chelakkara - Rajakkad - Rajakumari - Chathurangapara - Ramakkalmedu - Nedukkandam - Achankovil - Kuttikkanam - Wagamon - Marmala water falls - Pala - Cochin

Total distance : 490 kms

2. Day ride to Nelliyampathy, Palakkad with DOC Cochin : Feb 14 2021

After staying away from group rides for many many months, this was a great opportunity to catch up with the group from Dominar owners club albeit with all precautions taken. There were a total of 44 bikes on this ride. We started at 6 am and got back by 6 pm. This was also another good opprtunity to stretch the legs of the D400 on highways as well as winding ghats. The heated up Diablo Rosso II's as usual were in its prime and were giving me leech like grip. This gave me superb confidence to throw the bike around corners going up the mountains of Nelliyampathy.

In all, this was a really fun ride with everyone maintaining their assigned positions in the convoy and not creating any sort of problems for the group as well as other road users.

Route : Cochin - Mannuthy - Nenmara - Nelliyampathy - Thrissur - Cochin
Total distance covered : 340 kms

3. Day ride with couple of buddies to Vagamon : April 3 2021

The WFH folks who used to never sit at home during pre Covid era would understand how working at home for extended periods can bring in monotony and stress mentally.

Got a call one late night from couple of buddies asking if I was in for a ride, destination unknown. Next morning, even before my folks woke up I geared up and silently tip toed out of home. We decided to head to Idukki side and as usual ended up with another round trip to Vagamon. Started at 6 am and got back by 4 pm.

Route : Cochin - Pala - Eratupetta - Wagamon - Moolamattom - Thodupuzha - Cochin
Total distance covered : 240 kms

4. A TBHP stay trip after a really long time !!! : Apr 17, 18 2021

Finally, few of us from the Kochi gang managed to come together and meet up after a really long time. We picked up an airbnb somewhere on the Vagamon Idukki route for our stay this time. While myself and speed.demon decided to ride from Kochi with him in his Aprilia (Midnight), microaubin in his newly acquired GT(his second) and our doc revintup in his S Cross drove from Kottayam. We met up just after Pala and drove to the property.

Super duper happy to have done this in a really long time even though a lot of people were dearly missed.

Route : Cochin - Thodupuzha - Bharananganam - Eratupetta - Wagamon - our property - Wagamon - Pala - Thodupizha - Kochi
Total distance covered : 300 kms

The bike at 2 years now, has been super awesome and trouble free so far. This is now my getaway machine and my go to formula for stress busting . Was sadly able to cover only 2200 kms post the last service in April 2020. Getting the sixth service for 20,000 kms done soon.

Couple of changes are on the cards, main being a seat upgrade to memory foam with improved contours (pillion and rider) for that extra bit of comfort once inter state rides resume.

Total Odo : 19,000 kms

Wrapping up this post with a couple of updates, apologies if this is OT and I will keep it short:

Being in WFH mode for the past 1.5 years, I have also been working continuously for the last 7 months from Nov 2020 till May 2021 since situation demanded the commitment. This also made sure that fitness concerns started kicking in.

After sitting on the fence for many many months, I finally picked up myself and got home a SZEL Ziris Hybrid this month. Cycling is now part of my daily routine and I have taken a step back from work for the time being. From not being able to ride for even 5 kms at a stretch(even fainting post this the first time) I am now riding close to 50 kms on a daily basis with the number going up steadily. I guess more on this is for the bicycle thread and maybe I will start posting my updates there about this as time passes.

And finally, after dreaming for many years and after a restless past 8 months, sitting on the fence, I finally went ahead and booked my next mile munching machine.

A 2021 Tata Altroz Diesel XZ in Harbour Blue shade will join the Dominar early next month and I guess this calls for a fresh new thread in the cars section. This will also ensure that I have sleepless nights for the next few days leading up to delivery.

Cheers !!!

[aswin ajith]

Fifth service update at 20,000 kms : July 23rd 2021

The bike was at 19,000 kms and it had been almost 15 months post last service at 17,000 kms in April 2020. The service interval to be followed is 5000 kms/6 months. Hence, even though I barely covered 2000 kms post pandemic, I still thought I would take it in for its fifth service keeping the 5 year warranty in mind. I chose my usual place here at Kochi, Popular Bajaj at Palarivattom.

There were no issues at all to report apart from minor rusting on the clutch cable due to water seepage. Asked for a replacement along with the other usual items which included engine oil (fully synthetic Bajaj DTS-i 10,000), oil filter, air filter and fuel filter, coolant top up as consumables. Labour included the usual oil strainer cleaning, swing arm greasing and chain cleaning and lubing( refused adjustment since it was not required) along with a complete wash.

The bike went in at 9 am and was delivered post all work by 6 pm sharp. I noticed that labour charges along with prices of consumables too have gone up significantly from last year. For example, paid service labour alone for the D400 now stands at 900 bucks plus GST. 1.7 L of oil and oil filter comes to 1800 bucks plus GST. Now that itself adds up to 3000/- including taxes.

Total damages : 3800 /- INR
Odo reading : 19,000 kms.

It's been an absolutely trouble free and pleasurable ownership experience so far. My running on the bike has fallen to almost NIL as of now on account of the ongoing state of affairs here. I guess rate at which odo clicks is going to be really slow from now on.

Cheers !!!

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by aswin ajith

Couple of changes are on the cards, main being a seat upgrade to memory foam with improved contours (pillion and rider) for that extra bit of comfort once inter state rides resume.

Congratulations on your cycle and the Altroz! Thanks for sharing about your ride experiences. I too have been planning to ride towards some of these locations but due to the lack of time, I have never managed to do so. Do you have any shop in mind for getting your seat upgrade done? I got to know of one place near Edapally but when I went to check it out, it was closed since the area was a containment zone.

[aswin ajith]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Congratulations on your cycle and the Altroz! Thanks for sharing about your ride experiences. I too have been planning to ride towards some of these locations but due to the lack of time, I have never managed to do so. Do you have any shop in mind for getting your seat upgrade done? I got to know of one place near Edapally but when I went to check it out, it was closed since the area was a containment zone.

Check out Classic Seat Makers at Aluva. Had planned this but there is no point in getting it done now since there aren't any long rides. Hence put it on the back burner.

[MadhavNarayanan]

Hi Folks, I went to the Bajaj showroom today to check if they were selling the new accessories of the updated dominar. The guy at the showroom had no clue, and asked me to go to JC road! Did anybody get an opportunity to check if we can add the top rack and saddle stay to 2020 or older models? I have the hyperrider luggage carrier and is helpful with carrying the luggage, but it's too big and spoils the look of the bike when there is no luggage tied to it.

[New2Carz]

Same question as Madhav above - has anyone checked if the accessories from the latest model can be fitted to older models? Mine is a 2017 model and I plan to get the saddle rest with pillion support, crash guard and rear view mirrors.

[MadhavNarayanan]

Originally Posted by New2Carz

Same question as Madhav above - has anyone checked if the accessories from the latest model can be fitted to older models? Mine is a 2017 model and I plan to get the saddle rest with pillion support, crash guard and rear view mirrors.

I had given my bike for 4th service (Paid) day before. I had asked if I can get the knuckle guards fitted. The SA was giving lame excuses. First he said they have to check if they can fit the 2021 model to my 2019 model or not. I confronted him saying it can be done. Then he says he needs to check stock. When I asked him to check stock, he says I need to go to the spares section and place an order, and next time I can get it fixed! I also had a broken rear left indicator, and again he said there is no stock! And for 4th service, there is hardly any work, still took 2 days to give the bike. When I went to collect the bike, it was not washed properly. The slush under around the mudguards were still there. When asked about it, he says if I had chosen polishing, they would have cleaned it better! Such a pathetic service experience for a wonderful bike. And after all this, the SA reminds me about giving a good feedback

[New2Carz]

Originally Posted by MadhavNarayanan

Hi Folks, I went to the Bajaj showroom today to check if they were selling the new accessories of the updated dominar. The guy at the showroom had no clue, and asked me to go to JC road! Did anybody get an opportunity to check if we can add the top rack and saddle stay to 2020 or older models? I have the hyperrider luggage carrier and is helpful with carrying the luggage, but it's too big and spoils the look of the bike when there is no luggage tied to it.

I have ordered the luggage rack and backrest from the touring edition from 99rpm.com. Even though the delivery was delayed by 2 months, I am satisfied with the quality of the products. They fit well with my 2017 model. My next plan is to get the crash guard.

[aswin ajith]

Bumping up this old thread.

Hi folks !!!

Realized its been a long time since I posted any updates on the bike here post the 20k service update in July 2021.

Well, not much followed since the bike had been largely sitting idle at our home at Kochi.

However some major changes ensued on the work front which forced me to shift to Bangalore in May 2022. I had decided that I would take the bike along with me for my daily commute in Bangalore.

So before riding the Kochi - Bangalore leg, I decided to get the bike serviced once again at 21k kms mark in May last year.

There were no major issues to report other than a rust infected clutch cable and non working RL indicator bulb. Both were replaced under warranty by Popular Bajaj Kochi.

Total cost of service : 5783/- INR
Odo Reading : 21,000 kms

The bike was in another life of sorts where in turned to a commuter from a tourer. I had my apprehensions since it was not really that commuter friendly owing to the overall weight and also due to the KTM block which heats up like mad in B2B traffic. Even though I found it difficult at the beginning, this shift made me realize that this bike is also a very good commuter. The effortless low end torque which lets me leave traffic behind with ease and also due to the fact that the bike starts to creep effortlessly as soon as I release the clutch just like my Altroz Diesel.

Last September at around 23,000 kms, the Pirellis at the rear gave up completely. Since I had decided that I would mostly be commuting with the bike, decided not to get sticky tires anymore. Went for Apollo Alpha H1 which is proving to be very VFM. Great wet grip and even though not as soft as the Diablo Rossos, still gives fairly good comfort. Got it for 6k from a tyre shop on Sarjapur Road. The Pirellis on the front also will need to be replaced soon since I can see it disintegrating from the middle. I guess this is because the bike had been largely sitting idle last couple of years.

The bike turned 4 couple of weeks back. Even though the odo was not turning around much, decided to get the service done to keep warranty intact. Took it to Khivraj Bajaj, Banaswadi where it went in for its 7 th service at 26,000 kms. Again not much to report apart from a very loose chain, the brake fluid container had come off from the frame it was fixed on and was dangling. The usual oil, all fluids, all filters were changed, also got both F and R break pads replaced as well. Khivraj Bajaj did a solid job here with both issues I reported fixed to my satisfaction.

Total cost of service : 4450/- INR
Odo reading : 26,000 kms.

Couple of months back, I had thought of selling this bike in exchange for a scooter because that's all I needed. But shortly after, I decided against it mainly because, the resale value would be poor and I still had 1 more year's insurance left and bike has been completely trouble free and reliable. I guess I will hold on to this bike for now. Completely happy !!!

Signing off with a pic right after service in our apartment parking lot.